It's early in the morning in Niagara-on-the-Lake, as peaceful as a Sunday brunch. After roaring over the Falls 20 kilometres upstream, rushing through the narrows in Class 6 whitewater rapids then spinning and wheeling at the Whirlpool, the Niagara River glides gracefully into Lake Ontario.

But even at 8 a.m., Queen's Royal Park is full of people: families with children, couples strolling hand-in-hand along the boardwalk, a flock of joggers, elderly gentlemen hunkered down on benches as they stare toward Toronto's distant skyline.

A clock tower guards one end of Queen Street, a row of hanging baskets decorates the boulevard. A lone horse-drawn buggy lays down a rhythm track of clip-clopping hoofs to accompany a descant of bird calls.

The town could be the set for a period romantic movie. It's almost too perfect.

But then you dig deeper. You sign up for a walking tour, guided by historian Tony Chisholm, and you discover some anomalies. You notice that the idyllic treeshaded churchyard is scarred by regular earthen depressions. British troops and Canadian irregulars built them in order to defend this ground from an American attack.

Their defensive efforts failed miserably.

Chisholm points out the sameness of the buildings.

"Good reason for that," says Chisholm. "The Americans occupied the town until December of 1813. When they retreated, they burned the entire place. They rebuilt most of the town at the same time."

A historical plaque stands near the fairway on the 17th hole of Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, North America's oldest links and the location of an American amphibious assault. The ruins of a fort squat inside the course itself.

Just outside the town limits, Fort George stands sentinel - even though it's just a reconstruction.

"They had to rebuild the fort," says Chisholm, "because the American artillery blew it to pieces."

That's when it hits you that the Niagara region is a story of extremes, a tale of contrasts.

Two hundred years ago almost to the day, the United States declared war. Niagara was the primary battlefield.

Whether that is cause for celebration or reflection, they're pulling out all the stops this summer.

The Niagara Historical Society Museum presents a special exhibit titled Niagara on the Eve of War. They're also sponsoring a special theatrical tribute to the role of women: Petticoats, Boots and Muskets.

Early in June, re-enactors recreated the Battle of Stoney Creek just west of the Niagara Peninsula. The recreation of the naval attack on Fort George in July will feature 200 naval re-enactors in period costume crewing on tall ships and longboats - the focus of this celebration is the role the lakes played during the war. But there will also be glimpses into garrison life all summer: interpreters in period costume, fife and drum displays, musketry and cannon demonstrations.

August brings a replay of the Siege of Fort Erie, complete with a spectacular nighttime artillery bombardment that climaxes with a display of fireworks. Come September, you can cross to the New York side for the capture of Fort Niagara in living colour.

You have to wait for October for the biggest War of 1812 reenactment. This one is tied to the actual bicentennial of the Battle of Queenston Heights. It will finish with a procession that memorializes the final journey and burial of general Sir Isaac Brock.

But for all its bellicose past, Queenston Heights is nowadays both peaceful and beautiful.

Shaded lawns like green carpets recline beside flower gardens. An elegant stone building with dormered roof boasts haute cuisine dining with local wine pairings. A battalion of bikers dismounts and strolls toward the forested trails that offer panoramic river views.

Then you notice the skyreaching monument where Brock is buried, guarded by two young men wearing blood-red tunics. You peruse the plethora of plaques that guide you through this seminal battle, you note the exact spot where an American sniper killed Brock.

Peaceful and popular as the region is, the ghosts of war still moan here.

And peaceful is the last adjective you'd use to describe Niagara Falls itself, though today's invaders carry cameras instead of muskets.

At night, neon bathes the street in a carnival midway glow and the Falls are lit up with a rainbow array of million-watt floodlights.

Like the river itself, a throng of people flows to the lip of the gorge. They cascade toward Table Rock, mere feet from waters that plummet 51 metres in a timpani roll roar, a vacation soundtrack that competes, almost in vain, with the cacophony of Clifton Hill: throbbing bass grooves from beer gardens, pinball clangs and clinks, screams of kids spinning on a Ferris wheel, amplified canned screams coming from Dracula's Castle, riffing with disbelieving gasps at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum: a building torn out by its roots, life-size King Kong clinging to its facade. Two casinos tower over the river.

Welcome to a Canadian concoction of Vegas and Disneyland combined.

Hard to believe you're only eight kilometres from the Botanical Gardens, from a butterfly conservatory boasting 2,000 specimens, in a rainforest setting that could hold its head high in Costa Rica, where avian insects float overhead like pheasant feathers, where blue creatures hover over orange flowers, swooping down for an occasional taste of nectar.

Hard to believe you're less than 10 kilometres from a serpent's nest of trails that wriggle down the gorge wall, that meander to river's edge past huge boulders that remind you of Henry Moore sculptures, that skirts a sundrenched rock where a young couple soak up rays and share a picnic.

Hard to believe that, when you pass an early 19th-century homestead honouring the heroics of Laura Secord, who marched through swamps to warn the loyal Canadians of an impending attack, you're following a route that Winston Churchill called "the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world."

Until you remember that this is a story of opposites, a tale of polarities.

One morning, bookmarked by a brace of cannon, we survey the river from the gun platform of Fort George. That afternoon we repair to nearby Inniskillin Winery for a wine-tasting amid an undulating emerald expanse of vineyards.

"Special microclimate," says staffer Debi Pratt, explaining the proliferation of wineries (more than 30 in the immediate area). "The escarpment protects the plain and the lake moderates the temperature." She stoops and picks up a handful of dirt. "And the same limestone that made the Falls makes for perfect soil."

One morning I relive the Battle of Queenston Heights.

That evening I take in a play at the Shaw Festival, home to a professional summer theatre housed in three venues that features the plays of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. Today's invaders discuss dramaturgy and all things thespian instead of strategy and tactics.

Lights fade to black in the polished wood auditorium of the Festival Theatre, showcase of this event that saw its beginnings in 1962. My wife and I are transported to another time, mesmerized by the audacity of one of Shaw's most infamous heroines in The Millionairess. During intermission, we sip a local vintage in the shade of a trellised patio complete with reflecting pool. After the show, on a balmy summer night, we meander along quiet streets that are lost in time. Only the clip-clop of horse hoofs and the wind whispering in the maples overhead serenade our stroll.

Two hundred years ago, Niagara was ground zero for a war that changed Canada's identity.

Tonight it's peaceful as a Sunday brunch.

IF YOU GO

The Niagara region is a 1.5 hour drive from Toronto.

While many of the historical sites are celebrating special events this summer in commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, you're not limited to that time period. The nearby re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek is held each year, for example. And many of the seminal events of the war took place in 1813. For comprehensive guides to the schedule dedicated to 200 years of peace, from a calendar with a roundup of historical sites to a timeline of the war itself, check out these sites: 1812niagaraon thelake.ca, visit1812.com, and discover1812.com.

For an overview of other area attractions, including a range of accommodation and dining options, log on to tourismniagara.com and ontariotravel.net

Boasting simple but comfortable rooms in an attractive setting (the main foyer and dining room are housed in a refurbished mill), this boutique hotel is far enough from the noise of Clifton Hill to be restful, but close enough to most attractions to walk.

Though there are several very upscale inns in Niagara-onthe-Lake, this area boasts Canada's greatest concentrations of B&Bs. The manor is a great place to stay if you're a history buff. Charming and elegant, offering an actual gourmet breakfast, this Victorian Mansion (ca. 1805) also comes with a story.

Local lore says Canada's hero, General Brock, rode here the morning of the invasion at nearby Queenston to say goodbye to a secret lover.

Best view of the Falls from Table Rock, excellent main courses and attractive ambience based on the elements of earth, wind and fire. Definite lunch stop, though you'll need reservations for dinner to get a seat beside the wraparound glass windows no more than 100 feet from the crest of the Canadian Falls.

A bit of a drive outside Niagara-on-the-Lake, this is still a must-do, and a perfect example of the wineries and fine dining that characterize the region. Authentic Provençal cuisine paired with local produce, features include impeccable service, elegant ambience and a gorgeous view of a little tree-festooned ravine from your table.

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